15 Miles: The Heist
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 57: Ghost Protocol
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The world shook — not from earthquakes, but from revelation. Nexus's dark secrets were now public knowledge. Screens in every home, office, and government building blared the truth. Faces of the lost. Records of experiments. Testimonies buried beneath digital dirt — now exhumed for the world to judge.
But in the heart of that victory, Julian lay still.
Blood seeped beneath him. The aftermath of his sacrifice.
Eve knelt beside him, whispering his name, her hand pressed against his cheek.
"Julian... Julian, wake up."
Nothing.
She shook harder, her voice cracking. "I didn't come this far to lose you now."
Suddenly, a cough. Weak — but alive.
Julian blinked. "Still... hurts... like hell."
Eve broke into laughter and tears all at once. "You idiot."
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Meanwhile, Reese emerged from the sewer, soaked and reeking, but his eyes widened as he looked to the skies. Drones were falling. Blackbirds scrambled in retreat. Government aircraft flew low, dropping humanitarian supplies.
The city was turning.
People were taking to the streets — not in chaos, but in revolution. Protesters bearing signs. Whistleblowers coming forward. The illusion had cracked.
But something still wasn't right.
Reese's earpiece crackled.
"Reese... this is Cinder Base. We've intercepted a fallback transmission from Lucian. He's initiating Ghost Protocol. Full city reset. Purge everything."
Reese's blood ran cold.
"Coordinates?"
"Sending. He's running."
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Across the river, hidden beneath the ruins of an old subway station, Lucian stood before a black monolith — a server unlike any other. Self-sustaining. Air-gapped. It held the last uncorrupted records of his entire project.
His last escape route.
Beside him, the remaining GhostNet operatives stood poised, their loyalty unbroken.
Lucian inserted a key chip. The system blinked to life.
"Initiate Ghost Protocol. Reset. Burn everything but the roots."
"Yes, Director," the AI responded. "Beginning zero trace wipeout. You have 15 minutes to evacuate."
Lucian's lips curled into a smirk. "Time's always been my ally."
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At the tower, Julian struggled to his feet, one arm around Eve.
"We stopped the broadcast… but it's not over."
Eve checked her hacked wrist terminal, the screen pulsing with a new alert.
"Lucian's triggering a full wipe. Ghost Protocol. If he succeeds, the rest of the Nexus intel dies with it."
Julian glanced down at the scorched data drive.
"And we just lost our only copy."
Eve's eyes narrowed. "Not the only one."
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Flashback: Eve, earlier in Episode 46, secretly slipped a duplicate drive into her belt compartment. Her voice echoed back in memory.
"You always need a backup. Especially when you're me."
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Now, she pulled it out, grimy but intact.
Julian grinned. "I could kiss you."
Eve smirked. "Maybe later. First, we end this."
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Reese reunited with them minutes later, arriving in a battered military jeep.
"Get in!" he yelled.
The trio tore through the smoking streets, heading toward the old subway coordinates. Time ticking down.
10 minutes.
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Lucian strode into his final chamber — a sleek escape pod embedded deep within the earth. Above, the facility was beginning to purge.
Files combusted.
Hard drives fried.
Evidence vaporized.
Lucian climbed into the pod and activated the launch sequence.
Until—
BOOM.
The steel hatch above exploded inward.
Eve dropped in first, guns drawn. Julian and Reese followed, weapons aimed, eyes burning.
Lucian raised a hand. "You're too late."
"Not yet," Eve hissed. She tossed the second drive toward the central server.
It clicked into place.
"AI," she commanded. "Override Ghost Protocol. Begin global sync using admin key: Dalton 117."
Lucian's face twisted. "You hacked it?!"
The AI spoke.
"Override accepted. Broadcasting to secure satellites. Data lock… commencing."
"No!!!" Lucian lunged for the panel.
Julian tackled him mid-air, slamming him into the steel wall. They traded blows — savage, desperate.
Lucian drew a hidden blade.
Julian winced, then parried with a broken metal pipe, driving it upward into Lucian's shoulder.
Lucian howled in pain — but it was over.
The data was syncing.
World leaders were now in possession of Nexus's deepest secrets.
There would be no more hiding.
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Sirens wailed as enforcement teams stormed in. The last of Lucian's men surrendered.
Eve held Julian's hand, both of them slumped against the server wall.
Reese stepped outside, letting the dawn hit his face.
Freedom.
Real freedom.
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One Week Later
The world had changed.
Nexus was no more.
Trials had begun. Whistleblowers became heroes. Survivors were honored.
Eve, Julian, and Reese stood on the rooftop of the rebuilt broadcast tower.
Julian wore a sling. Reese had a new scar. Eve… just wore a rare, quiet smile.
"What now?" Julian asked.
Eve didn't answer at first. Then: "There's always another shadow to expose. But for now? We breathe."
Reese raised a toast. "To 15 miles of hell…"
"…and the truth that made it worth it," Eve finished.
They clinked bottles, overlooking the city they'd saved — fractured, but healing.
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To be continued…?
🔥 This could be the final chapter… or just the beginning of a new saga. Should 15 Miles: The Heist continue into a Season 2?
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